Posts Tagged ‘teen drivers’

For many parents, the idea of buying your teen a new car is frightening. If your son or daughter’s new drivers license wasn’t enough, buying them their own car grants an unparalleled freedom that is at times difficult to monitor. That’s why many families draft a parent-teen safe driver contract to assure safe driving decisions even when you’re not in the car. But it’s also important to research the safest cars on the market, to assure that your teen driver will stay safe even if something unpredictable happens. Over the past year, Consumer Reports has done a great job of highlighting safe cars for teen drivers, with a special emphasis on affordability. Their new list goes even further.

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This week is the National Safety Council’s Teen Driver Safety Week, and it comes right in time for summer, the most dangerous set of months for teens behind the wheel. Last week, we published the California Teen Driver Summer Safety Resource, which included daunting statistics about summer driving for teenagers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports, for example, that there are nearly twice as many car accidents between Memorial Day and Labor Day than the rest of the year combined. So to prevent car accidents this summer, pay attention to Teen Driver Safety Week and remember to drive safe.

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Teenagers generally drive more during the summer, and as a result, studies have shown the summer to be most dangerous for teen drivers. Earlier this week, for example, AAA reported that seven of the ten most dangerous driving days for teens fall between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and a total of 7,300 teen drivers were killed in summer accidents between 2005 and 2009. But summer has also proven more dangerous for teen cyclists and teen motorcyclists. Now that summer is here to stay, we wanted to highlight the week’s best articles and blog posts related to teen drivers and cyclists here in the Bay Area and across the country.

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Summer is great. The weather is warm enough for shorts and t-shirts, the water is (in some places) warm enough for swimming, and teens get a whole three months off of school. But it turns out summer is incredibly dangerous for teen drivers and motorcyclists. This week, AAA released a new report showing that seven of the 10 most fatal teen driving days occur the summer months between Memorial Day and Labor Day. So in addition to enjoying to their summer, teen drivers can take the summer to improve their knowledge of driver safety and even study to take their California drivers license test.

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Now that summer is here to stay, along with warmer weather and safer road conditions, you can expect to see more motorcyclists taking to the streets for long rides throughout California and across the country. Though a relatively small proportion of motorcyclists are under the age of 18, teens are often the most susceptible to motorcycle injuries and fatalities. If you’re a parent or a teen thinking of getting a motorcycle, it’s important to review the safety statistics related to teens on motorcycles. In addition to taking the safety courses required to get a motorcycle permit, all teens should obey all laws and wear the appropriate safety equipment. Most states, for example, have passed motorcycle helmet laws for all teen riders.

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As Bay Area news organizations and concerned residents continue to parse the information provided in The Bay Citizen’s fascinating bike accident tracker, the communities most vulnerable to bike injuries become more apparent. Last week, we wrote that the percentage of cyclists involved in bike accidents is nearly three times higher in Contra Costa County than in San Francisco County. In an even more troubling statistic, teenagers are the most likely to be killed or injured in Bay Area bike accidents. And matters are especially dangerous for teens in San Jose and Oakland.

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We’re constantly reminded that teen drivers are the demographic most likely to cause car accidents. Scientific studies on teen brain development show that the brain doesn’t even reach full maturity until the mid-twenties, long after most teenagers receive their license. But during the summer months (May through August), teen drivers hit the road much more often, and are more likely to engage in dangerous driving practices. So before school lets out, take a look at the summer accident statistics for teen drivers, and consider using the vacation to boost driving skills and study for the license tests.

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Teen drivers throughout the country are faced with countless dangers on city streets and highways. Teens are the demographic most likely to cause car a accident, technology poses the temptation for distracted driving, and scientific studies have even shown that the teen brain may not have developed the motor skills and emotional maturity to drive safely. As California teens hit the road more during the summer holiday, they should take precautions to stay safe and aware at all times. And since California teens receive their restricted license at 16 and their unrestricted license at 18, they can take the summer to boost their knowledge of state driver laws and practice safe driving techniques.

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As we’ve learned in past weeks, May is an important month for traffic safety nationwide. May marks National Bike Month, Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and National Youth Traffic Safety Month. This mode of driver safety awareness comes at the perfect time, as teen car accident statistics spike during the summer months. As Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood points out on his blog, car accident deaths nearly double for drivers aged 15-19 during May, June, July and August. So do your part to reduce teen car accidents and pay attention to National Youth Traffic Safety Month.

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Now that I’ve written the above headline, it seems to confirm what I already suspected about teen driver car accidents. But regardless, a new study by the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia confirms that distracted driving and inexperience, and not reckless driving, are the leading causes of fatal car accidents involving teen drivers. The study found that of nearly 800 serious accidents 76% were the result of teen driving errors that likely could have been prevented with the help of additional training and distracted driving awareness programs.

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